( especially BrE ) ( NAmE usually in·stall·ment ) / ɪnˈstɔːlmənt; NAmE / noun
1.
one of a number of payments that are made regularly over a period of time until sth has been paid for :
We paid for the car by / in instalments .
The final instalment on the loan is due next week.
They were unable to keep up (= continue to pay regularly) the instalments.
➡ note at payment
2.
one of the parts of a story that appears regularly over a period of time in a newspaper, on television, etc.
SYN episode
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 18th cent. (denoting the arrangement of payment by instalments): alteration of obsolete estalment (probably by association with installation ), from Anglo-Norman French estalement , from Old French estaler to fix.